Midtjylland begin their campaign in the Europa League with a home clash against Hoffenheim on Wednesday. The Danish side are looking sharp at the start of the season and will be confident of claiming the upper hand over their German visitors, who are struggling to find their best form.
Midtjylland are in the main competition of the Europa League after falling during the preliminary rounds of the Champions League. Aside from that poor showing, it has been a generally solid start to the season for Thomas Thomasberg’s men.
Sitting top of the Superliga, Midtjylland are unbeaten in their last four matches, claiming three wins in that run. However, they were held to a 2-2 draw at Randers on Saturday with Franculino Dju and Doguhan Simsir getting their goals.
Hoffenheim did not play any preliminary matches and qualified automatically for the main competition. Pellegrino Matarazzo’s team will be keen to at least match their 2020-21 campaign where they reached the knockout stage.
The problem for Hoffenheim is that they have struggled to find their best form this season. They have lost their last three matches and travel to MCH Arena off the back of a 2-1 defeat to Union Berlin.
How the bookies view it: Closely fought encounter
Despite the contrasting form, the bookies are anticipating a closely fought encounter on Wednesday. A victory for Midtjylland is priced at 8/5 by Betfred, who is offering 6/4 for a Hoffenheim victory while a draw is set at odds of 13/5.
Head to head: No previous meetings
There are no previous matches between Midtjylland and Hoffenheim.
Players to watch: Eyes on Franculino
Franculino caught the eye in Midtjylland’s ill-fated Champions League qualifiers and could be the one to watch on Wednesday. The forward has scored in his last two matches and is priced at 15/8 by Betfred to find the net.
In the midst of all their struggles this season, Andrej Kramaric has stood out for Hoffenheim. The forward has four goals so far and is priced at 9/5 by Betfred to maintain his scoring run.
Probable line-ups
Simsir could be handed a start in midfield for Midtjylland on Wednesday after coming off the bench to net the equaliser last weekend. Franculino should continue in attack alongside Juraj Kuchta.
Hoffenheim have injury problems, with Ihlas Bebou, Ozan Kabak and Grischa Promel all sidelined. Umut Tohumcu and Valentin Gendrey should start in defence after coming off the bench last weekend while Kramaric should retain his place in the team.
Midtjylland: Olafsson, Mbabu, Diao, Bech, Andersson, Osorio, Martinez, Castillo, Simsir, Kuchta, Franculino
Hoffenheim: Baumann, Gendrey, Tohumcu, Akpoguma, Kaderabek, Prass, Stach, Bischof, Kramaric, Bulter, Berisha
Anything else catch the eye?
Neither team has shown much defensive solidity this season and could be set to produce goals on Wednesday. Over 4.5 goals is priced at 11/4 with Betfred, who is also offering 6/5 for over 3.5 goals.
Midtjylland are expected to come out on top here and could be backed to score in both halves at 9/5 with Betfred.
This UEFA Europa League match between Midtjylland and Hoffenheim will be played on Sep 25, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Midtjylland vs Hoffenheim prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
